Caballero Negro
by Soundwave 0107
Summary: Written for Foxpilot/PitFTW's Au Romance Contest. The quest was simple; Escort the fair maiden through a deadly route filled with danger and enemies. Sounds simple enough. Read, review, enjoy! Meta Knight x Palutena
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: So, I heard my good buddy Fox-pilot and the renowned Pit FTW were holding an AU Romance Contest. And you know what? I figured I'd have a go at it, even though romance isn't my strength (Humour is, though :P)**

**So, here it is: The introduction-format start of Caballero Negro! Enjoy!**

High in the sky, beyond the limits of the pristine blue covering of this World, shone the mighty sun, a blazing sphere of fire and gas, its light raining down upon the World, filling it with warmth, light and reassurance in the glow of the star. The dusty path, worn from centuries of travellers and traders moving along its length, was a yellowish-colour in the light, and had a gentle feel to it; Not too stony or rough, smooth enough for bare feet and bordered by lush fields of grass, with an occasional tree peppering the landscape. To the right of this path, if you were heading towards the Airship port at least ten miles down its length, was a titanic wall of mountains, imposing and impossible to climb. And to the left, would be endless hills of the green grass, stricken occasionally by the blue stripes of rivers, with herds of herbivorous Green Yoshis indulging themselves in the botanical matter and fending off attacks from the carnivorous packs of Red Yoshis.

This was simply one area of a magnificent World known only as just that- This World. A world of fantasy, and great heroes and savage monsters, where people would go perform epic tasks and seek adventure wherever it hid, yet it was a world of relative peace. Very few wars had plagued this beautiful land, and it seemed that it was the perfect world to many.

Now, by this certain point in the long path, that stretched from the great Capital of Eagleland, New Pork City, all the way to the delightful territories of Hyrule, was a large boulder that set next to a split in the path, the patch of yellow earth extending a limb directly to the right, reaching for a cave at least thirty metres away from the main path, a dark hole bordered by sharp rock, a hole in the mountainous wall, and the only way one could get through this mountain border, the other side of which lay the great fortresses that made up the territory of Altea, a land ruled by a great king and filled with mighty warriors. Currently, that great power in this World was spreading word that a foul beast was stalking its lands, attacking towns and killing villagers. Thus, many were travelling to Altea, from Hyrule to all the way from the distant states of Lylat and Metroid, to try their hand at finding and ending the great monster, for the one whom ended the beast would be recognised as a true hero, and have all the riches they could desire for destroying the terrible creature.

So, our story within this fantastical land starts with a single being walking down the dusty, yellowish path. He was an odd creature, certainly, for he only stood a mere two feet high, and appeared to have a perfectly spherical body. The body seemed to be coloured a handsome navy-blue, what little of it could be seen at least, for the being wore a dark cape that he kept wrapped tightly around almost all of the body, save the top of the figure and shoulder-pads of a black metal sticking out of the sides. There were glimpses of purple metal boots treading along from under the cape, and the sun gleamed brightly off the silver metal of a mask worn on the front of this spherical person. This mask, complete with a vaguely V-shaped hole for sight, shone in the light of the glorious day, but a closer look revealed sharp scratches and markings on the metal, indicating this person was one of battle, a warrior of great skill to have survived whatever attacked him over the times. However, what really struck anyone who saw this being were two bright yellow eyes seen through the slit of the mask, the curved nature of the hole acting like the eyebrow position required for a serious or perhaps even angered face. The eyes never moved, never blinked, merely stared, as this being casually walked down the long road.

He was nearing the boulder that marked the route that led to the cave, when a voice called out to him: "Excuse me!"

The sphere person stopped, and turned to face the large rock, and noted the figure sat upon it; A woman, smiling pleasantly at him, albeit rather wary as well. Her face was slim and kind, with bright green eyes that, when the sun hit them, could be compared to emeralds, a colourful feat matched only by the long cascade of green hair that fell down the woman's back all the way to her hips. She was a beautiful creature, certainly, slim with soft curves along the hips and the ample chest, with fair skin of a peachy tint, and she was clad in simple green robes, with brown leather gloves and sandals as well. Most interestingly was the staff she held, a long wooden stick of a dark brown colour topped off by a golden claw that held an azure orb, a beautiful tool befitting a beautiful woman.

The woman waved her free hand gently at the stoic masked man, before drawing the appendage up to stroke green hair out of the way of her eyes, which met the yellow glow of the other being's eyes, and she asked: "Greetings, stranger. May I ask where you are going?"

Her voice, much like the rest of her, was gentle, kind and feminine, and it held a trusting tone to it. Clearly making a nice effort for small talk.

The sphere person promptly spoke back to her, a male voice that was deep, betrayed no emotion save for polite exchange, and hinted of some kind of foreign accent: "Fair maiden, I travel to the lands of Altea, to assist those whom are threatened by the monster stalking the night."

"You believe there actually is a creature threatening those lands?" The woman asked in response, her kind voice now seeming a little sceptical.

"You think no such beast exists?" The male asked politely, a tad curious now at her sceptic tone.

"Personally, I believe it may be nothing more then the exaggerated tales of Altea's King. Gods and Goddesses above now of the tall tales he has spoken of in the past." The green-haired beauty replied coolly, idly examining her staff as she awaited the stranger's answer.

Certainly, this World knew of the King of Altea, a handsome man named Marth Lowell, known throughout the lands for his skill with the graceful blade known as Falchion, as well as his diplomatic heart and keen mind. However, the fair King did have a knack for boasting, and telling tall tales, a notable example being when he started spreading rumours of an evil enchanted hand creature, which was eventually confirmed as false. Nevertheless, he was a good King, and he ruled Altea wisely.

"Perhaps it may be mere gossip. Perhaps there really is a monster. I do not know for sure, but I am travelling to Altea anyway." The sphere person replied coolly, his shoulder-pads moving in a subtle shrug. "It is simply more of a motive for me to reach Altea, if there is a monster. After all, if it exists, I could defeat and prove myself. That is why I go to Altea. I find my life is missing something, and I think I may need to go there, and battle other warriors to determine my skills and strength, to see if that is the missing part of my metaphorical jigsaw." And then, his speech done, his eyes seemed to turn blue, an act of optical colouring that was followed up by a curious question: "But, maiden, if I may ask: why do you sit upon this rock?"

The woman sighed deeply, her previously impressed expression at his tale vanishing, as she turned her gaze to the cave, dark and black even in the day, her face falling with a sadness, before she replied heavily: "I seek to travel to Altea as well, to visit a sacred temple there and perhaps join as a priestess, but unfortunately, I have no way of reaching the land. This mountain cuts off all who want to get there and there is no way I could climb the great rocks."

"But the Airship port is but a mere ten miles away, near the border of Hyrule. Surely you could get a lift there?" The male asked, his cape moving slightly in some kind of pointing gesture down the path, stating the former part of his statement like it was obvious.

The woman flushed with embarrassment, bringing up her free hand to again stroke at her hair nervously, as she replied: "I would, but... I have a deathly fear of heights. I could never bring myself to go on one of the airships, never mind the fact I don't have any money to pay for a trip. My only hope is to go through the cave and travel by foot to Altea, but-"

"-But the route beyond the cave, on the other side of the mountains, is a deadly land of dangerous beasts, poisonous swamps and villainous bandits, so they say." The sphere person finished for her, his eyes returning to the original yellow colour as he observed the woman thoughtfully. "And I suppose you do not have any battle experience to defend yourself from any attacks should you travel down that route?"

"You are correct, sir." The woman sighed softly, sliding down the rock to land on the grass easily, before kneeling down before the other being, her staff set down beside her, before continuing, her eyes staring sadly at the grass stroking her legs: "I wait here patiently in hopes a brave warrior can escort me to Altea. I can help them in battle, for my staff has the power to conjure shields for defence, and it can heal wounds as well, allowing me to keep the warrior generally safe while he battles. But I have either had my request refused, or the ones who were kind enough to help me failed, and were killed, and I had to flee back here before I met the same fate..."

The green-haired female sighed sadly, before speaking again, the stranger listening attentively, cape always folded around him: "The Temple of Altea is my life's dream, good sir; to become a priestess at that sacred place, and learn more about the ways of healing and the Light, but if I can never reach Altea-"

"Oh, but I think you will reach that place."

The woman looked up at the interruption from the stranger, surprise in her expression, as he idly took a step backwards, and threw his cape back in a swirl of dark material, revealing the rest of his body and mask, as well as white-gloved arms, in a slightly impressive display. But most eye-catching of this act, however, was that now, the woman could see that this being wielded a magnificent golden blade, perhaps a foot in length, that gleamed in the sun, a blade that seemed to shimmer in the air as the woman gasped softly in awe of the wickedly sharp weapon, the golden handle embedded with a ruby, and the metallic razor tipped with two sharp spikes on each side of the cutting edge. How he had hidden it under the cape was unknown, but one thing was for sure:

He was a swordsman.

"My name is Meta Knight, fair maiden." The swordsman, Meta Knight, stated politely, bowing to the amazed female as expected of an honourable warrior, as his magnificent blade gleamed in the ever warming light. "And I will escort you through the cave and beyond to Altea."

**Author's Notes: Oh yeah! The quest is on! Will Meta Knight be able to get this nice lady through the deadly route beyond the cave in the mountain wall? Find out in the next three chapters of Caballero Negro!**

**Wait, who is the lady anyway? You'll find out in chapter two, I suppose, but feel free to guess! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: Today, we'll see how Meta Knight and his chick get on in the oh-so cliche dangerous journey, and maybe see some romance start to develop ;)**

**Well, enjoy!**

The cave was, put simply, very dark, dark enough that even the faintest sliver of light from the entrance was soon consumed by the shadows. Thankfully, the swordsman seemed to have the ability to see through this darkness, and this Meta Knight carefully led the green-haired through the darkness. The female flinched now and then at hisses in the darkness, most likely from Cave Squirtles, but the luminous glimpse of the male's blade keeps the small scavengers at bay. This cave is not part of the dangerous journey that so many speak of, but it is inconvenient to those without any kind of light or night vision.

Despite the dark atmosphere around them, painfully aware of every drip of liquid and every movement around them, those sounds in the shadows inspiring nervous fear, the woman still speaks, her voice cracking slightly with the aforementioned fear, but nevertheless strong in its thankfulness: "Sir Meta Knight, I cannot speak enough of how grateful I am that you have decided to aid me on-"

"It is my pleasure to help, fair maiden." The short knight replied, his dark body lost in the darkness, but she could feel his gloved hand upon her staff, gently pulling her through the darkness. "Certainly, such an endeavour as this will be difficult, but then, I do love a challenge. You yourself have performed for me a great favour by giving me an excuse to test my skills here."

The female blinked at his casual speak of challenge, before shrugging it off as warrior's instinct and falling silent, walking in slow steps so not to trip on any hidden rocks, and always bearing her staff around her defensively. While Cave Squirtles were normally cowardly creatures that wouldn't threaten a living target, they occasionally attacked in overwhelming numbers. Thankfully, the things in the darkness did not seem in the mood for attack, and soon enough, the green-haired beauty caught sight of a sliver of light- The exit.

Meta Knight noted this as well, and stepped up the pace, pulling the woman along swiftly to reach the exit in quick time, eager to escape the nerve-wracking darkness of the cave. The light seemed to be angered at first, hissing at their dark-weakened eyes, but it softened as they got nearer, eventually opening out into a long canyon of dusty red stone, boulders littering the ground as steep walls on either side of the walk gleamed orange in the sun, shadows cast by the mountains behind them providing an area of shade outside the cave. The woman sighed softly with relief as Meta Knight let her go, glad to be out of the cave and now able to see, and she found that the canyon before her was quite beautiful-

"What is your name?"

Green eyes blinked in slight surprise at the sudden question, and the woman turned to her small bodyguard of sorts. The swordsman had again wrapped his cape around him, his golden sword hidden within the article of clothing, and his eyes stared at her patiently, awaiting her response. However, the female's mind seemed to hesitate, and she asked:

"P-pardon?"

The knight inclined his head (or body?) and stated: "I asked you for your name. It would be nice to know what my companion's name is."

The joking edge to his stoic, polite voice relaxed her somewhat, and the woman replied with a giggle, though there seemed to be an odd hesitance in her eyes: "M-my name is Helen, Sir Meta Knight. I apologise for not telling you earlier."

"It is easily forgiven. I must say though, Helen is quite a unique name..." The knight replied with a shrug of his gleaming shoulder-pads at the former of his statement, a soft musing on the latter, before turning to face the great red canyon before them, the start of their long journey to Altea. He stared at it for a few seconds, noting the green lands beyond the canyon, before asking: "Now then, shall we get moving, Lady Helen?"

The woman, Helen, found herself blushing ever so slightly at that, and quickly uttered, a little embarrassed such an obviously powerful warrior felt the need to compliment her as such: "There is no need to call me lady, Sir Meta Knight. I have no titles to speak of."

"It is polite for a warrior to speak of a female as a lady. Besides, there is no need to call me sir, yet you do." The sphere person replied kindly, a small chuckle in his voice. Clearly, he was typically reserved, but willing to lighten up with ease.

Helen managed a small laugh, before sighing and asking an important question: "But, what of food and water? You do not have any stored with you, and I-"

"Trust me, fair maiden, when I say water is here, even in this dusty canyon. As for food, we can forage here with ease. That is how this land's creatures survive, and it is how we survive." The knight replied casually, again shrugging his shoulder-pads.

"You seem very much in tune with nature." The woman observed, gazing curiously at her escort. Just how much has he seen in his life, and what has he learnt in his time? She had always been a rather curious creature, and this small being intrigued her...

But Meta Knight merely chuckled at her statement, as though denying any such skill: "It is a basic survival technique, my dear, to live with the land. Now then, shall we move on? We have much ground to cover if we intend to reach Altea anytime soon."

"Oh, um, yes, of course. Sorry for the questioning." Helen replied quickly, her curiosity switching to slight embarrassment at holding up the swordsman, before she set off at once, her lean legs moving in graceful strides, her staff's gem gleaming in the sun. Meta Knight watched her as she moved for a second, his eyes again turning blue with a curious contemplation, before he shrugged and moved off after her. His job now was to protect her and ensure she reached Altea in one piece, not to think of things of no use.

Despite his smaller size, the swordsman had no problem with keeping up the woman as they walked down the central pit of the canyon, huge cliffs moving up to tower over them on either side, and they walked in comfortable silence, occasionally speaking, but never for too long. These small discussions generally ranged from why Meta Knight wore a mask (He had merely shrugged, and gave no answer) to as to how the woman had obtained her staff (A gift from her mother, apparently), and all the while, Meta Knight's yellow eyes kept watch on the many boulders and shrubs along the route. Predators attacked from behind cover, and an ambush in this harsh area was very likely. However, the main concern would be to find water. The rather arid nature of the canyon meant heat would soon make ever-increasing assaults, and water had to be found before then, and quickly.

Regardless, the duo kept on walking, always watching out for any danger, Helen gripping and twirling her staff around in idle nervousness. She was not a warrior, and a battle would be highly risky to her, as she only knew supportive magic's through her staff and basic experience in wielding it as a weapon itself. All fighting would have to be left to Meta Knight. Though Helen was certainly keen to avoid any kind of conflict with the many dangers that supposedly inhabited this route, she couldn't help but hope to see just how well her escort could battle.

But the greatest danger here was the sun, a savage weapon in itself, blaring brightly above the land, burning heat raining down upon this World, most certainly in the red canyon, and soon enough, the green-haired woman found her wiping an arm against her sweating forehead, heaving a sigh as her body started to ache softly from the heat flowing through her veins, and her throat found an urge for water as her mouth slowly began to feel dry...

Meta Knight was quick to notice her state of heat stress, and stated reassuringly: "Fear not, fair maiden. I can see a small pond up ahead. We will have water soon enough."

"That is good to know..." The woman murmured softly, hoping that what her escort saw was the real thing, and not a cruel mirage, brushing a hand through slick hair. Already, this journey was wearing on her...

Thankfully, the knight's statement was true, as her eyes caught the inviting glimmer of a pond, hidden within the shade of an outcrop of red rock sticking out from the canyon wall. The soft blue of the fresh water brought hope and relief to Helen's mind, and she couldn't help but sigh softly, her body practically shivering out of happiness. Water was just what the over-heated woman needed right now, to cool her body, soothe her aching throat and re-supply her natural stock of the precious fluid. All that glitters is not gold, certainly.

So, the duo made haste over the ground and quickly reached the pond, a shallow but acceptable body of water. Helen fell to her knees almost reverently before the liquid, heaving a groan of relief, before dipping her hands in the fantastically cool water and moving her appendages up for her aching mouth, transferring precious water with frantic want, as the cool liquid lapped into her mouth and reassuringly rubbed at her dry throat. Amazing, how such a simple thing as water can be so priceless...

Oddly, Meta Knight did not seem to share the same care for water, as he merely stood next to the girl and observed her patiently, like a Blue Falcon watching a Yoshi, yet it does not pursue the prey. The reason for his staring, as he watched the girl continue to drink water from her dripping hands, was because he was contemplating whether or not some of her statements were true. He had seen that slight hesitance when she told him her name, and he had seen that slight flush when she had stated her fear of heights. It was the subtle signs you had to look out for, and Meta Knight couldn't help but wonder if she had lied to him about these admittedly minor details.

The warrior sighed as the woman huffed in contentment at her drink; Worrying about the aforementioned would get him nowhere. Certainly, he should be less cautious in this endeavour. Trust and teamwork would be needed to survive this trek. Meta Knight could recall stories of only two beings ever getting through this route. One was a great warlock of great shadowy powers, and the other was a mysterious, yet legendary champion, a man known only by a red hat...

"Sir Meta Knight?"

The puffball quickly snapped out of his musing and turned his attention to Helen, whom was gazing at him with slight concerned eyes, and she followed up the small statement with the question: "You seemed deep in thought; what troubles your mind?"

"Nothing, Lady Helen." The swordsman replied coolly, turning his gaze to the reflective image of the woman within the watery body of the pond. "Mere thoughts of the past, nothing more."

"I see." The woman answered, also turning to gaze at the gleams of light captured by the water, the beautiful effect of the clear fluid, a trace of wondering in her voice. "You seemed to have the same answer for as to why you wear your mask. Is your past something you would rather not-"

"The past is the past." Meta Knight stated, cutting off Helen's words with a final tone that seemed as sharp as the sword he wielded, his eyes flashing slightly, turning to face the female, whom turned to look at him, slightly surprised by his sharp reply, and slightly unnerved by his ever-open yellow eyes locking onto her own optics, as he went on: "And, if you please, it will stay as such."

The human blinked and blushed simultaneously, and quickly apologised: "I'm-I'm sorry, Sir Meta Knight. I didn't mean to pry or offend you."

"It is easily forgiven." The swordsman replied casually, his powerful gaze dropping from her to observe the length of sky behind her, and she felt a little bit more at ease at said forgiveness. Instinct warned her that this small, spherical person was not to be angered. Shaking her head of that thought, she listened in to his next statement: "I simply prefer to remain in the present. Such as now. Kindly duck."

For a second, confusion zipped through Helen, but then, from underneath the dark cape, came the gleam of gold, and she quickly understood and tilted her torso forward so her head lay on the floor, and the knight leapt over her as a savage screech pierced the sky and caused pain in the female's ears, causing her to yelp in the terrible pain of that sound, before the screech was cut off by the thump of metal on flesh, and the sound of something hitting the floor hard followed. Quickly, Helen leapt to her feet, staff at the ready, for her escort had engaged something in battle. Holding her weapon defensively, the woman caught sight of Meta Knight assuming a defensive position two metres in front of her, cape swirling and sword gleaming, facing off against a Red Yoshi, a savage carnivore that hunted in packs and used speed and surprising power to take down prey. The crimson reptile hissed threateningly at Meta Knight, whom merely flicked his sword slightly, clearly not worried about this opponent.

"Sir Meta Knight-" Helen murmured, eyes locked on the carnivore, which hissed, a long tongue flicking between lines of sharp teeth, worry filling the woman now at this first foe on their journey, one fact about this enemy causing fear to build up as well. "-These Yoshis hunt in packs. There's sure to be more!"

A pack of Red Yoshis were definitely not something you'd want to fight, the creatures constantly using their speed to confuse you, before striking and retreating, a hit-and-run cooperative strategy that rarely failed to bring down a target. And now, a second Yoshi appeared from behind a nearby boulder, snarling and snapping its jaws.

Helen fought against the urge to whimper, clutching her staff tightly, the weapon's jewel glowing slightly, as Meta Knight turned to look at his new foe, before moving backwards towards Helen as the first carnivore flicked the long tongue at him, the knight avoiding the muscle with casual ease

But it was only getting worse, as more Yoshis also appeared, haven been hiding in shrubs or upon ledges, the creatures surrounding the duo quickly, hissing and snarling with hunger, saliva dripping from their maws as they eagerly awaited the thrill of killing the prey. An ambush, and they were right in the middle of it.

"Sir Meta Knight..." Helen murmured fearfully, almost falling into the pond as she backed away from the pack, horror spreading through her as her mind, in it's paranoia, conjured scenarios of their horrible deaths at the jaws of the pack, and shivers fell down her spine in fear, turning her attention to the stoic knight, his sword glinting in the sun as he turned his body from side to side to establish their foes; there were nine Yoshis in total, and they were surrounded.

"Just stay defensive. I'll handle this." Meta Knight promptly ordered, his mind concluded and ready for battle, and the woman was again left awestruck when his cape suddenly transformed, extending into two powerful bat-like wings, dark and muscular, and with a surge of wind, the wings flapped and Meta Knight lunged into the air. For a split second, the Yoshis were distracted by the sudden aerial abilities of their prey, before one screeched and flung its long tongue at the airborne sphere.

However, the sphere warrior was more then prepared and grabbed the tongue, before suddenly flapping his wings and flying through the sky, and with surprising strength, he dragged the Yoshi after him with its tongue. The creature screeched in agony as its muscle, though very long, was painfully stretched by the airborne warrior, before he dragged the predator right into another Yoshi, both beasts hitting the ground hard with the impact.

Helen stared at the airborne warrior with awestruck eyes. He really was full of surprises. However, her attention was then held by a Yoshi taking note of her, hissing savagely, before it lunged at her, maw opening to reveal razor-sharp teeth. Helen quickly reacted, digging her feet into the ground in a defensive staff, then focusing all power to her arms to swing her staff at the creature. The jewelled tip collided with the hunter's head, and it was flung off course, landing in a heap to the left of the woman, snapping angrily in pain.

Another Yoshi noted this, and lunged for the off-guard woman, but Meta Knight flew out of nowhere, crashing down on the beasts head and slamming it into the floor, before sweeping backwards delivering a powerful kick to another Yoshis face, then, with a surge of wings, lunging and tackling another predator, never once using his sword on the creatures. Meta Knight seemed to be almost bored by this battle; he gave no sign of tiredness or exertion, and as aforementioned, he didn't have to use his sword.

A Yoshi lunged at him, but he ducked under the mouth and flipped himself up into a sharp kick that struck the underside of the reptile, knocking it onto its back, as another spun round and whipped its tail at the knight, but he ducked under that as well, and smacked the Yoshi with the broad side of his sword, knocking it back and giving him time to burst back into the air, his powerful wings beating up a cloud of dust to confuse the predators.

Meanwhile, Helen was utterly amazed by the sheer speed and skill of her escort, as the knight leapt from snarling and snapping Yoshi to Yoshi, delivering kicks, wing slashes, tackles and punches from his free hand. Such surprising power from such a small creature was truly awe-inspiring, and the woman couldn't take her eyes from Meta Knight's battle with the Yoshis.

She had certainly made the right choice in having him as an escort-

Pain suddenly flared through her, originating from the leg, a sharp tearing pain that brought a scream of agony ripping from her lungs as her balance suddenly vanished and she toppled over onto the dusty, hard ground, her non-pained leg kicking out wildly at the Yoshi that she had hit; the predator had recovered and seized the moment of her distraction to clamp the savage maw onto her left leg, the wicked teeth grinding against bone as blood sputtered out of the wound.

Meta Knight turned in horror at the sound of her scream, before lunging for the predator, only to yelp in pain as jaws clamped onto his left wing, stopping his charge; a Yoshi had grabbed the flight-worthy appendage, and the knight struggled against the physically stronger creature.

However, failure was not an option.

Kicking away a lunging Yoshi, he then flipped round, and his wing dragged the creature to the floor, the hunter forced to release it to try and get back on its feet, but the knight was already charging for the creature attacking Helen, the woman gasping in agony, tears of hurt streaming down her cheeks as she futilely kicked at the Yoshi, the red animal relentlessly gnawing on her leg, blood drooling out of her limb as the pain continued to ravage her.

And then, a blur of gold, and the Yoshi was dead before it hit the floor.

With a grunt, Meta Knight pulled his sword from the creatures neck, his eyes glowing crimson as he spun to face the remaining creatures, which were again surrounding the duo, before his wings folded back into the cape, which then billowed out like a tangible shadow, draining light from the air around him, and, shocked, the Yoshis backed away as darkness continued to spread from the knight's cape, the shadowy matter rising up like a tower, the crimson eyes glowing brightly to increase the terrifying image of himself.

"All of you will run, or you'll end up like the unlucky one." The warrior hissed, golden sword contrasting against the great mass of shadows, the red eyes glaring at the now cowering Yoshis, whom now saw that the fight was futile against such a horrifying monster, having already lost of their own within the blink of an eye, and with that, they fled, whipping up dust in their mass retreat.

Satisfied with this victory, Meta Knight promptly let go of his power, and the darkness vanished back into his cape, which swung round to envelope him as per usual, the warrior now turning his attention to Helen.

The woman was lying on the ground, body twitching and throat whimpering with pain as her mauled leg bled out, her staff lying inches from her clenched hand. Clearly, the woman was in utter agony. Meta Knight could certainly see that, and it appeared she was unable to use whatever healing powers she had spoken of before in such a state. But then, it could have been a lot worse. Now then, time for the bodyguard to make up for his mistake in allowing something to attack the maiden.

The sphere person quickly moved, rushing to the pond, at which his cape snaked out and curled up into a dome, which he dipped into the pond, the item of clothing successfully gathering up a small pool of water, the liquid glinting in the sunlight, before he made his way back to the groaning woman and curled his cape around her injured leg like a snake curling around prey, the water-logged material restraining the flow of blood and wrapping the wound in clean water. Helen yelped in pain at the sudden hiss of cold liquid against her burning leg, but Meta Knight's body was at her side, and his gloved hands promptly lifted her torso into a sitting position, the girl whimpering in pain, though her leg started to go numb under the capes constricting pressure, lessening the hurt somewhat.

"Lady Helen, please; you need to activate the healing power of which you speak." Meta Knight stated, worry under his calm voice. He was no medic, typically used to only serving himself, and that was a nasty wound. It had to be healed before blood loss or infection could take hold. Thankfully, the watery cape bandage seemed to be doing the trick, and Helen whimpered a reply, pain-stricken reply, tears dribbling down her cheeks:

"Y-Yes, Sir Meta Knight. I-I n-n-need my s-staff..."

Carefully, keeping his cape wrapped her injured leg, Meta Knight leapt over her body to reach the dropped weapon, the staff with the bejewelled tip. Acting prompt and competent, Meta Knight took a shaking arm in one of his hands and pressed the staff into the hand of Helen, whom gulped softly, took a deep breath as her body shuddered in hurt, before murmuring something under her breath.

The knight didn't hear what she said, but he saw the effect of her words; The glittering jewel upon the staff suddenly flared with a golden light, brighter even the sun high above them, and a ribbon of this golden light, almost tangible in appearance, streamed from the jewel, curling down the feminine body until it reached the injured leg, wrapped up tightly in cape, before sinking through the dark, wet material, a soft glow murmuring down the length of the appendage, and Meta Knight felt an odd warmth spread through him, originating from where the light had passed by his cape.

Incredible.

Helen seemed to shudder for a second, before a soft sigh of relief exited her mouth, as her torso slumped back onto the ground, though her escort was quickly at her side once more, placing a glove behind her head to keep it elevated, the soft emerald locks brushing against the supporting appendage as the sphere warrior asked: "Lady Helen, how are you now? Did the spell work?"

The woman nodded softly, her eyes blinking away tears as the remnants of pain took their leave. Truly, few things were more reliable then a good healing spell. Meta Knight had certainly proven, in her eyes, to be one of them. Never before had she seen anyone scared off a pack of hungry Red Yoshis like that. Nevertheless, her leg was no longer burning in agony. Learning how to heal is a useful skill, and that was something you could not argue with.

Cautiously, Meta Knight unwrapped his cape from the woman's leg- And he was stunned to see that her leg was completely recovered. Not even a scar nor a patch of pink on the skin. Before the spell, it had been savagely torn, bleeding everywhere, muscle ripped and even the outline of bone poking through. But now, it was as good as new.

"Amazing." Meta Knight noted, eyes glowing green as he gently ran a gloved hand over the previously injured appendage. Helen flinched slightly at the fresh contact (Healing spells always left an odd shivering sensation for a short while) but nevertheless managed a small smile. She was alright. There was no lasting harm.

Gods above, that attack had scared her! The horrible pain as the Yoshi bit into her flesh... But Meta Knight had saved her. That alone earned her great respect, not to mention his extreme skill in battle, with such speed and precision-

Her stomach suddenly rumbled.

Meta Knight noted this, and chuckled slightly: "Hungry? Right after a savage battle to the death with a pack of hunters? I'm impressed by your resilience."

Helen flushed slightly, managing a small smile as she arranged herself into a sitting position, wincing slightly as her leg buzzed from the healing energy, before murmuring: "I guess I am hungry, Sir Meta Knight. But, what can we eat? There is nothing-"

"If I may correct you, milady." Meta Knight interrupted coolly, his sword appearing from the depths of his cape as he idly waved it off the front of his body, before turning to the corpse of the Yoshi he had slew, the one that had attacked Helen, and walking over to it, bearing his sword down over the body. "We have fresh meat right here for the taking."

A quick slice of gold, and the creature's belly was cut open, as Meta Knight declared, much to the woman's disgust: "There we are. Now, let's get a fire going. Night will soon be upon us, and admittedly, I'm hungry as well."

Helen quickly covered her mouth as a nasty urge to barf rumbled within her. A dead Yoshi was not what she thought of as the first choice for food...

**Night Fall**

The dark night sky was very serene, as it often was in this World. The black blanket, so high above them, was dotted by the shining light of stars, all of them glinting, some brighter, some dimmer, but all beautiful. Truly, nothing but nature could provide the most wonderful settings, as Helen, her stomach full, her leg fully healed, lay down next to the pond, emerald eyes gazing, awestruck, at the magnificent setting of the sky, watching each star, admiring every gleam of the heavenly bodies.

Nearby, standing by the glowing dance of a campfire, the flames licking up at the air around them as cracks and pops hissed from the burning wood, a necessary sacrifice for fire's growth, was Meta Knight, yellow eyes focused on the heart impaled upon his sword, the blade holding the dead organ over the fire, allowing the burning element to heat the organ into an appropriate cooked status. Though the killing of a fellow hunter was not approved of by the warrior code, he had had no choice but to slaughter the animal that attacked the lady. At least it could be helpful by providing some much needed food.

As the heart cooked, his eyes moved slightly to look at the woman lying down nearby, the gutted carcass of the Yoshi on the other side of the pond. It was impressive, her ability to heal, especially such a cruel injury as the one she received. She had potential for a wonderful healer, and being a priestess at Altea would definitely help.

Meta Knight then sighed softly. He'd forgotten what it was like, to travel with someone else. He'd been alone for a very long time...

"Sir Meta Knight?"

Her soft voice, laden with question, drifted over on the cool wind to him, and he replied quietly: "Yes, fair maiden?"

She was silent for a moment, before sitting up, elevating her torso so her head could comfortably turn and face him, the green eyes lightly reflecting the glow of the fire as she gazed at him, before she elaborated: "What do you think of the stars, Sir Meta Knight? What do they mean to you?..."

The sphere warrior's eyes shifted to a soft blue for a moment as he contemplated the question, before reverting to yellow as he replied: "To me, fair maiden, the stars are simply a thing of natural beauty, to be admired and watched by those unable to reach them. Any spiritual meaning they may have, is something I don't really consider. I prefer to think of present things, on the ground where I live."

Helen gazed at him upon hearing his rather lacking answer, before pressing on: "Surely, they must have some kind of significance to you, Sir Meta Knight."

"Perhaps, but if so, I have not found it yet." The knight replied, shrugging his shoulder pads as he removed the smoking heart from the fire and unfolded it within his cape, his yellow eyes vanishing as the mask was pushed up ever so slightly. Helen watched, fascinated, as the faint sounds of chewing drifted from the knight, but his cape prevented any view of his face. What could be under the silver metal that he sought to cover up? Battle scars? Or some kind of curse? The curse seemed logical. Perhaps some being had placed the devilish spell upon him, and the mask was built to restrain it.

However, she knew he would not answer any questions regarding his hidden face, so she switched to a different topic: "Sir Meta Knight, how long have you been travelling?"

The faint sound of swallowing, a shift of cape and metal, and the yellow eyes glowed through the slit in the mask, as he stated: "Delicious. In response to your question, milady, I have been travelling this World for a few years, searching for something."

"What do you seek?" The woman asked, turning her body around so she could crawl closer to the knight, curiosity in her eyes.

Meta Knight seemed to think for a moment, eyes again turning blue as he looked at her, the female unconsciously shivering under his gaze, before he gave his answer: "I'm not certain. That is what I seek; the answer to what it is that I search for. Do I seek fame, fortune, love, solitude? I am unsure. So, I travel and hope I can find what I look for." The knight then turned his blue eyes down the length of the dark canyon, towards the direction of the far-off Altea. "Perhaps, after I have successfully guided you to Altea, I can find my answer in the Temple of Palutena, Goddess of Light."

"Perhaps." Helen murmured softly, bringing her body in to curl up next to the knight. The two sat next to each other in the quiet night, both staring at the ever-slightly dwindling fire, thinking of what their brief talk may mean to both themselves and their companion, before the female spoke: "I believe I owe you a great thank you, Sir Meta Knight, for saving my life."

"It is my duty as a warrior." The sphere person chuckled slightly, yellow eyes seeming to hint at a very faint pink. "To help such a fair lady as yourself."

Helen blushed and giggled: "Thank you again, Sir Meta Knight. But I think I may go to sleep now."

"Of course. Rest well, milady, for the journey continues tomorrow." The knight replied, his cape shifting into the bat-like wings and stretching them widely, flexing off the powerful, yet thin muscles. "I will guard you while you sleep."

"But, surely you need rest as well." Helen replied quickly, slightly worried now, her gaze growing concerned. Didn't all creatures need some kind of rest? What if her escort got too tired and couldn't-

As though her worries were of absolutely no concern to him, the knight sniggered softly, and gestured for the woman to lie down and prepare for sleep as he said: "Have no fear, Lady Helen. A popular rumour among my enemies is that Meta Knight does not sleep; he only waits."

Another short laugh from the knight, as Helen, still unsure, but allowing herself a smile, lay down upon the dusty ground, arranging herself comfortably as she could, and replied: "If you say so, good warrior... I'll see you tomorrow..."

"Indeed." Meta Knight replied, before courteously extending his cape to flit over her, acting as a blanket. Helen was slightly surprised at this, but not ungrateful to the warmth and comfort the material provided, and murmured softly: "Thank you." as she allowed her tired eyes to close, and darkness, darker then even the night sky, swept over her mind.

Meta Knight observed the resting female for a short while, before sighing softly as his yellow eyes dimmed, and his cape drew in shadows to better hide them from predators. It was nice to have a travelling companion again. Then again, judging from recent signs, maybe it might just get nicer. It seemed this may be a long night of musing.

Especially when the woman, asleep so quickly, unconsciously uncurled an arm to wrap around his small body and pulled him in closer to her like a pillow, the female sighing softly in sleep's grasp as her head rested on his side, emerald hair tickling the exposed traces of navy-blue skin.

Again, the knight heaved a sigh. Indeed, a long night it would be.

But not uncomfortable, at least.

He allowed himself to chuckle softly as his eyes glinted with a faint hint of pink, and the glittering stars remained ever silent and watching.

**Author's Notes: Hooray! An update at last! I better hurry my ass up if I wanna catch the deadline, or Fox-Pilot will have my ass on a platter 0_0**

**So, journeying, chatting and a good old fight, before a talk under a starlit night. It seems the duo are getting quite close already. Then again, love moves faster for some, slower for others. Certainly, MK's been on his own for a while, so it's only natural he's getting a bit close to the lady XD**

**Speaking of which, she calls herself Helen. Personally, I don't buy that. I think she's hiding something. But what? Two reviewers seem to know. Oh, and by the way, Caballero Negro is pretty much Spanish for "Dark Knight."**

**Figured it just suited the story XD**

**Well, I plan on revealing the truth about Helen on the final chapter, which is number four, just to keep it a surprise for those who don't know the truth :P So, I hope you enjoy the later chapters!**

**Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to go kick Game and Watch's ass on Brawl again! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Okay, screw it. I had originally intended this story as four chapters, but I overestimated my ability to actually get stuff done, so I have to cut it down to three. Oh well.**

Morning soon graced this World, as the sun rose from its hiding place to assert its dominion, though it was challenged by the roar of a titanic green dragon, whom snaked through the sky as the light of the star seared the night, chasing it away to places unknown as the glorious glow alit this World. Green fields perked up at the precious energy as blue rivers glinted. Birds tweeted joyfully at the return of the great sun, and herbivores slowly got to their feet, recovering from sleep, ready for another day of survival. The carnivores could afford another hour or so of sleep, so that was some respite for the plant-eaters at least.

Within the dusty confines of the great red canyon, there was general quiet. Shrubs rustled softly in light breezes as dust swirled around in tiny cyclones, so small and harmless, and the pond gained a handsome glitter as the water took in the light that streaked across the sky.

Meta Knight observed the sun as it slowly rose higher and yet higher, unconsciously drawing his cape tighter around himself. Though his heroic attitude may say otherwise, he was a creature more inclined to darkness, and the sun was a bit too bright for his liking. Never mind. It was something he could deal with. After all, he'd dealt with spending all night being used as a pillow and a blanket by Lady Helen, the woman's arms slung around him as she breathed in and out in the soft rhythm of sleep, her feminine form moving slightly under the dark cape as the rays of light tickled at her through the material.

Meta Knight huffed softly. Though, admittedly, it felt nice to be hugged, he would like it very much if she woke up now. The day was starting, and he wanted to get moving before the predators got active. Of course, legends said that Subspace hath no fury like a woman scorned, and having been rather outcast from this World's going-ons, Meta Knight was understandably cautious in awakening Helen himself, but he may as well try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"Lady Helen." The knight stated casually, drawing his cape from her body, which curled up slightly in response to the loss of warmth, the woman's soft face taking on an unconscious pout as her arms tightened around the puffball, whom restrained from wincing at the sudden pressure on his smaller form. Nevertheless, he pressed on: "Lady Helen, it's time to wake up. Come now, up and at them... Huh, that sounded so unlike me."

The woman stirred slightly, and her eyelids flickered, but still, she did not awaken. Meta Knight sighed as an attempt to get out of her grip failed, before idly musing on increasing his attempts to wake her. He could shout, but that might attract a predator. He could try and shake himself out of her arm's vice-like hold, but that might only have her tighten her grip on her. And he wasn't inclined to undergo the admittedly arduous process of teleportation under such a petty condition.

The knight merely stood there, taking the time to tilt his body slightly so he could better observe how the sun gleamed off emerald hair, surprisingly well-cared for for someone whom had spent whatever amount of time sitting on a boulder. It was pretty...

Meta Knight let out yet another sigh, before inspiration for escape hit him. His cape twirled up, before splitting into the large bat-like wings, the dark membrane stretching out, as sunlight shone through the thin skin, colouring it an odd shade of purple and orange, before the right wing curled up and bent down, the sharp wing-claw moving slowly until it pressed against the cloth covering the woman's back, before sharply pressing harder into Helen's torso, not enough to hurt, but enough to be felt.

The reaction is immediate.

With a yelp of shock, Helen jerked awake, her arms flinging out as her snapped up, eyes wide and staring around in panic at her sudden revival, as Meta Knight, with a yelp of shock, was shoved into the pond, the thick feel of water, awfully cold, enveloping him as he fell in, before his mind quickly reacted and his wings surged through the liquid and shoved him out onto dry land with ease, the puffball emitting a grumble as water seeped out from his mask, his wings shaking off the liquid, as he stood up and turned, dripping wet, to face a startled and awake Helen, whom noted his predicament.

"Oh! Sir Meta Knight, are you okay?"

"Fine. Nothing like a good bath to wake one up in the mornings." The knight drawled coolly, his wings enclosing him again as a cape, his eyes flashing red in annoyance, before dulling back into a calm yellow. "Now then, since you are awake, shall we move on, fair maiden?"

Helen seemed to blink in confusion, clearly still a bit tired (Meta Knight restrained amusement as the thought of dumping her in a cold pond) before her wits returned to her, and she gasped: "Oh! Oh, of course! I'm sorry, Sir Meta Knight, I-"

"Slept. It is natural, Lady Helen." The sphere warrior replied coolly, as the woman pushed herself to her feet, one hand grasping for her staff as the other brushed off dust and dirt from her clothes, before flicking strands of green hair out of her face as her eyes locked onto the warrior, as he went on: "Besides, Altea isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I merely wish to move before any predators discover us."

"That is a logical explanation." Helen replied softly, allowing herself a small yawn as she stretched out her lithe form, carefully keeping an eye half-open to observe Meta Knight's reaction. Not much, but his eyes did seem to flicker. Intriguing.

With that, Helen smiled at her escort and said, casting a glance at the fly-infested Yoshi corpse: "So, shall we go now?"

"That is the intent, milady." Meta Knight replied politely, before turning with a swish of cape and moving off, the woman obediently following after the puffball, as the sun glowered down at them in all its blazing glory.

The canyon seemed to go on forever, red rock after red rock as the sun burned above, shrubs and dust bristling in the small gusts of wind as the duo continued on their journey, casual discussion occasionally filtering between them, ranging from how the lady had slept ("It was a peaceful dreamless. Emphasis on the was, Sir Meta Knight." "Well, you were constricting me like a Snake, Lady Helen.") and complimenting the taste of the Yoshi Meta Knight had slain ("Tasty, lean. I would happily eat more if I could.") but otherwise, the two, as before, merely observed the land, always watching out for predators. There was a rather tense encounter with a passing Charizard, but the beast, fortunately, had instinctively veered away from them, not chancing a two-on-one battle.

They were always sure to stop by whatever source of water they found, Helen constantly replenishing her body's supply of the precious liquid. In this heated place, any water was taken, and taken with appreciation. Even Meta Knight occasionally sipped from the various little ponds and streams scattered about, despite that Helen had not seem him drink before. When he did, his cape would fold around him and his mask pushed up ever so slightly.

He never let her see his face.

Again, curiosity whined at the woman. Why did the small warrior see fit to constantly hide his face? Battle scars? Some kind of curse? Or maybe he did it merely to maintain a dark and intimidating aura? Helen couldn't help but giggle slightly as she cooled her hands in the latest stream they had come across. Perhaps Meta Knight was just obsessed with maintaining his image as a powerful and intimidating warrior, and the mask was central, literally, to that image.

The puffball turned to cast a curious glare at her, eyes gleaming that soft shade of blue of curiosity, asking: "May I ask what is funny?"

"Nothing, Sir Meta Knight." Helen giggled. "Nothing at all."

Though she couldn't see it, Helen had a feeling he was raising an eyebrow behind his mask, and she giggled some more.

The canyon proved harmless as they moved on. No Yoshis, no Charizards, nothing. And they had had enough water to beat back against the sun's heat, their bodies much more hydrated then the previous day. In short, the trip was going much smoother then when it had first started.

Finally, gloriously, after around five hours of travelling, and Meta Knight fighting off three Red Yoshis, they came upon an uphill slope. Helen noted this, and she realised that on the top of this slope would be the start of the next area on their journey, and with a grin of relief, she burst into a run, quite fast, for the top of the slope. Meta Knight was actually hanging onto the woman's back, by now, giving him a bit of rest and also allowing him to stretch out his wings to act as shade for Helen. His darker skin and armour protected him against the sun, so he wasn't worried by the heat, and his wings made sure to keep the woman cool as she made her way uphill.

"Oh, thank the Gods!" Helen giggled as she neared the top, excitement pushing her onwards. "We'll finally be free from this dusty old canyon!"

"Indeed." Meta Knight chuckled. "It has been a rather harrowing experience travelling through here. Though, I'm quite surprised at the overall lack of predators attacking us. I would have thought a route this reputed as dangerous would have far more beasts. Oh well, I suppose I can find some challenge later."

Helen stopped just short of the top of the slope, and, eyes wide, turned her head back to try and gaze at Meta Knight with surprise, before her voice croaked out: "Sir Meta Knight, you actually _wish _for more dangerous and threatening foes and battles on this journey? Are you insane? I would-"

The knight merely chuckled slightly, before, with a surge of wind and muscle, he flapped his wings and flew off the woman's back, and landed at the top of the slope, the flying appendages folding into the cape as his suddenly unsheathed blade glowed gold in the sun. Helen fought not to blink at the shining blade, as Meta Knight turned to face her, yellow eyes alight with power, as he said:

"Milady, it is a warrior's destiny to live on the battlefield. We strive for greater and greater challenges to prove ourselves worthy of the weapons we use and the pride we muster, seeking out opponents to battle to test our skills, finding those who can best us to grant us the ability to improve, and teaching those lesser then ourselves. Lady Helen, I am a warrior, and a warrior will always seek the greatest of challenges."

"I suppose so." The green-haired female replied slowly, folding her arms over the jewelled tip of her staff, the weapons other end digging into the dirt as a support, and resting her head upon her upper appendages so to gaze at the sphere warrior, eyes observant and contemplating as he folded himself in his cape as usual. "But surely you see other ways of living life without constantly seeking your next battle?"

"I do. They just don't appeal to me as much." Meta Knight stated bluntly, shrugging his shoulder pads.

"Not even a peaceful life with a loved one?" Helen asked, her cheeks blushing ever so slightly as her eyes waited expectantly for his reaction. That question was out before she really though much of it, but there it was. A kind of tension built up as she waited for how he would reply, a tension she couldn't fathom the meaning of, like she was hoping to gain something more from her question then a mere answer.

Meta Knight seemed to hesitate slightly, his eyes glinting between blue, red and pink. He figured something might pop up like this, since last night, while musing in the sleeping female's arms. She was quite curious on his inner workings, and he, admittedly, didn't like that. He was always a reclusive being, and, while he had accepted the responsibility of escorting her, he wished she wouldn't be so... curious, really. But there was something about her-

Never mind. He gave his reply:

"... I have not discovered anyone to be loved, fair maiden, so I will cross out that possibility."

She seemed, though masked by casual indifference, disappointed. The puffball restrained a shiver as his mind promptly came up with ideas on what that hinted. Surely, she didn't, well, _love_ him, did she?

No, that was impossible. She'd only known him for a day. One day wasn't enough for such an emotion. He was simply being paranoid, due to having shunned company for so long. She only asked a question, nothing more. Nothing more.

"So, Lady Helen, shall we continue onwards?" He suggested, tactfully changing the subject, turning from her to face the lands that that the top of the slope allowed you to see. The faint rustle of hair signalled a nod, and the woman abandoned her previous pose to walk over and stand next to the knight, allowing herself to see what lay beyond the canyon.

She gasped.

Indeed, the most beautiful scenery greeted her; The great sun shone above a massive sea of green, a gigantic swamp lit with vivid life and dotted with shining lakes and rivers, a soft mist hanging above the amazingly green natural titan, giving it a feel of true mystery and beauty. It was so, so... contrasting, to the dusty canyon they had but just conquered, this great swamp. And the first trees and the edge of a titanic lake were along the red and brown path that led from the end of the canyon to the beginning of the swamp. Helen, put simply, had never seen anything so scenic and amazing, and her eyes widened with awe and thrill, as Meta Knight breathed in the new scent that drifted upon them; the scent of pure greenery, so to speak.

"An amazing sight." The knight noted, eyes glowing green as Helen breathed: "Beautiful..."

The two just stood there, watching the beautiful swamp before them, the sun only adding to the effect of shining wonder, before Helen laughed and all but danced down the path to the source of water but fifty metres away, twirling her staff in her hand as the jewelled tip shone, emerald hair catching the light with ease as small gusts of wind, ever present, blew little swirls of dust around the joyful female.

Meta Knight stood still for a moment, merely watching Helen as she moved towards the edge of the massive lake. Her previous question again rose to his mind as he observed her graceful, joyful movements. It really had been a while since he'd been graced with such a sight. The swamp, natural beauty, was amazing, but she...

Was he really that drawn already? Only a day and already...

The knight shook himself with a small sigh, before extending his wings and flitting into the air, allowing his wings to catch the wing, bringing him into a gentle glide as he flew after his companion.

She had reached the edge of the water source by the time he twirled out of the glide and landed beside her, wings folding into the cape, the female eagerly scooping the clean liquid into her hands and raising it to her mouth to drink, then letting out a sigh of contentment at how refreshing this water was. It was pure and clean, rather then the lacking ponds in the canyon, and it was absolutely wonderful.

But then, a thought occurred to her. That time in the dirt-ridden canyon had left its mark; her clothes were marred with dirt, and she wasn't too clean herself. And now, she had a massive source of clean water to indulge herself in. And thus, she asked:

"Sir Meta Knight, would you mind waiting if I bathed in the lake? Admittedly, I need a good clean-up."

Meta Knight shrugged and replied: "Certainly. I will wait. But, forgive me, please be quick. We do need to move on to Altea."

"Certainly. I won't deny my escort the chance of having a good look when I'm naked." The female giggled, winking at the knight as she flushed slightly at her own nerve. Imagine her saying something like that to the puffball. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but let out a louder laugh as he heaved a sigh that clearly signalled embarrassment, then muttered: "Women..." before swirling his cape round and vanishing in a blur of darkness.

Surprised, she raised an eyebrow at this unseen talent of his. Teleportation? Impressive. Nevertheless, Helen discarded that thought and she giggled once more, glad to have given her escort a little taste in what the presence of another being can give you, before she casually stripped down and leapt into the pleasantly warm water with a large splash, warmth engulfing her pleasantly revived form.

Meta Knight reappeared further down the bank of the great lake in a swirl of cape, eyes shimmering between different colours with embarrassment. Honestly, she just had to reference human nudity habits and taunt him about his desire to see-

Wait, what? Desire to see? No way.

Damn, he just was not used to having company of the opposite gender. Letting out a sigh and making sure no enemies were around, he allowed himself to raise his gloved hands and pry the silver mask from his face, before placing it gently next to him, and he leaned down to the water and dipped his mouth in the softly warm liquid to drink. While he didn't need as much water and food as other beings, he took what he could get. Who knows what could be lying in wait in the swamp? It was beautiful, but swamps were perfect breeding grounds for poisonous plants and creatures. Better to take water now, just in case.

As he drank, he, reluctantly, turned his thoughts back to what the girl had said. So, she assumed he actually cared if he saw her in the nude? Surely, she knew that he was a different species to her, and thus did not have the same reactions to her body as males of her own kind?

But that was, admittedly, just weeds pulled from the ground in desperation. Let's be honest here, he did find the girl some kind of attractive. Years of being on his own were clearly responsible by this sudden turn of emotions, as well as a whole night curled up to her warm and soft body. He'd get nowhere lying even to himself. Maybe he did like her a bit, more then a bit. She was kind, soft, sweet, somewhat naive, trusting. Good, pure emotions, certain to attract a more reclusive, calm creature like himself. Legends stated that opposites attracted, after all.

And he may as well be truthful to himself, eyes flushing pink at the thought: To see the rest of that slim, glowing, beautiful frame, uncovered by those limiting clothes, would be-

Meta Knight shook himself quickly, eyes flashing red as he rebuffed those thoughts. No, there had to be something else at work here. No-one felt some kind of attraction to someone else so quickly. Something supernatural had to be at work here, that was the only logical explanation. Years of restraining emotions, only shown through the colour of his eyes, wouldn't be undone by one girl he met yesterday. Maybe she was hiding something. Did she lure others to this deadly route, to be killed, or to kill them herself?

No. He knew murder and lying was not something of her nature.

The puffball sighed as he pulled back from the water, wiping any leftover oxygen/hydrogen mix from his mouth, before reaching for his mask. He really needed to reign in his thinking sometimes. Reattaching the reassuring metal to his face, he turned to face the direction that Helen was, to check on her, in case some kind of waterborne creature was near, just in time to see her resurface, lithe body gleaming with water in the light.

Of course, he was too late to whip his cape around himself to block off the sight of the view of the front of her torso as the woman stretched her cleaned body, all but showing off her form.

Meta Knight was awestruck, shocked and embarrassed, needless to say, whole body falling lax under the sight as his eyes flared pink, unseen mouth falling open in a gape.

And she turned her head and saw him.

Gods above, help him.

**Later**

She was still giggling as they paced through the green foliage of the swamp, Meta Knight remaining very quiet, embarrassment prickling at him as his sword sliced through any vines of branches in his way. Thankfully, there was a convenient path that twisted through the maze of trees, and a nice layer of shading provided by the botanical life-forms all around them, with only a few shafts of light breaking through the barrier of leaves and branches. Bright flowers sprouted throughout the roots of the great trees, ranging in colour from bright yellow to a dull blue, and all with long strands filtered with pollen. Or rather, poisonous spores. Grasses and small bushes also dotted the brown roots of the trees, with streams and puddles of dark water littering the dirtied path.

No matter how beautiful a swamp may look from the outside, the inside was cluttered and laden with traps, all of nature's being. Flowers spouted poisons at anyone who got too close, wild Ivysaurs prowled the undergrowth and packs of Green Squirtles hunted the muddy waters.

"Remember, Lady Helen, stay away from any kind of flower. There are many poisonous organisms in this swamp." Meta Knight warned the woman, trying to get the subject off his viewing of her nudity. The woman nodded, but nevertheless smiled knowingly at him, eyes twinkling with delight. Whether at his humiliation or the fact he had been watching, the knight wasn't inclined to know.

"Of course, Sir Meta Knight." Helen giggled. "I shall, ah, _watch _out very carefully."

"Must you really bring that up?" The puffball groaned, pained at the loss of his powerful image. When had the girl, previously more soft and kind of shy, gain such an edge? "I said that-"

"Don't worry about it." Helen giggled, a slight skip in her step, twirling her staff around quite expertly as she manoeuvred through the roots and shrubs of the swamp's plant-life. "After all, you were kind enough to escort through this deadly route. I suppose I do owe you, so to speak."

"It will do my pride wonders if you don't bring it up again." The knight sighed, trying to hide a smile, despite the mask that already covered it. At least she had not taken offence to his mistake.

"Of course, Sir Meta Knight. But may I ask you a question?" Helen replied, turning to look at him, smile softening slightly as her eyes glinted with curiosity.

"Very well."

"... Did you like what you saw?"

With that, the woman burst into laughter, doubling over to clutch as her diaphragm and Meta Knight tripped over a root and face-planted on the ground, groaning with embarrassment at the resurfacing of the topic, the puffball having walked into that trap so easily. Still laughing, the woman reached a hand over to grip his cape and pull him back onto his short feet, before she stood upright, her laughter devolving to giggles as her free arm pushed the emerald locks out of the way of her face, smiling widely at the knight as he turned to glare at her, folding his cape around him as he often did.

As one might do in this situation, the puffball decided to fight fire with fire.

"Fine, I'll play your game. I did indeed like what I saw. Happy now?"

"Very much, Sir Meta Knight." Helen giggled, his tactic having only fuelled the fire he had fought against, as she moved onwards. Meta Knight sighed, rubbing his mask with caped hands in frustration, before he moved off after her. She was one-of-a-kind, definitely.

The two continued on, Helen spirited, Meta Knight conflicted, traversing the swamp quickly. Luckily, some of the trees bore edible fruits, which the flight-capable swordsman would fetch, and the two would eat in companionable silence. Thankfully, Helen had agreed to drop the already infamous subject, much to Meta Knight's relief, but she still smiled widely at the thought of it.

It was pretty clear now; there was some kind of attraction developing. That much was obvious.

Helen would laugh at the irony of it. Having waited for someone to finally get her to Altea without fear of the airships and heights, she came across this small warrior whom not only accepted the task, but beat past the foes in the canyon with ease. And now, she was finding herself growing fonder and fonder of him. He was such a kind and trustworthy and honourable individual. Such a curiosity he was as well, drawing her in like a Taboo Moth to a candle. She wanted to see what was behind his mask, wanted to see the true face of the warrior that had saved her life and had seen her naked.

She wouldn't forget that image; the poor knight struck dumb by her body. It was just too wonderful for it's own good, and the only disappointment was the mask that had hid the most certainly hilarious expression on his face. Funny, and perhaps proof that maybe he liked her as well. She hoped so. To earn any kind of affection from this warrior was an achievement. And she liked him, certainly.

Meta Knight, of course, was adamant. True, he liked this woman, this female with the healing staff, the wonderful attitude, the feminine form and the surprising wit, and she made him feel somewhat... happier. Were he more optimistic, he perhaps may have considered that maybe, some kid of love was the very thing he sought out in his life, the missing piece of the metaphorical puzzle. Okay, he liked her. Liked her quite a lot. Was love what he sought?

Should he try and induce it with this woman, the fair lady Helen?

Things are often complicated because we ourselves make them that way. Maybe he should-

He caught sight of something that wasn't right, and quickly snarled: "Get back, Lady Helen, now!"

She obeyed instantly, eyes widening in shock, leaping backwards as Meta Knight lunged, cape shifting into wings as his sword revealed itself, and he rammed into a body of something, knocking the thing back into a tree with an audible thump, before his wings beat him back away from whatever foe this was, his sword gleaming with readiness, as Helen moved in behind him, staff ready, to back him up.

Both of them were surprised.

It was a man, a rather short man, taller then the puffball, but only reaching up to Helen's diaphragm in terms of height. He was clad in green, tattered robes, wore tattered brown shoes, had a tattered green hat on his head, and his face was beset by a black moustache, a big nose and green eyes, which held only a disturbing expression of... insanity.

Meta Knight reacted quickly, aiming his sword at the stranger as the man struggled to his feet: "Who are you? Answer me now!"

The man merely cackled maniacally, twitching for whatever reasons brewed in his mind, and he replied: "Oh, visitors! Lovely, lovely, lovely! It's-a me, Luigi! Loo to-a the E to-a the G! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Helen cringed and backed away from the stranger, apparently named Luigi, as Meta Knight flared his wings menacingly and snarled: "What are you doing in this place, Luigi?"

"You... you know him?" Helen asked, shocked at the familiarity in Meta Knight's tone, eyes widening in the aforementioned shock. Her escort knew this... psychopath?

"Certainly. The long lost brother of the great red-capped hero." The sphere knight growled, as Luigi cackled again, the green man then moving on to snigger:

"That's-a right! Me and my bro, we saved-a many cities from monsters! Oh, bad-a monsters! SCARY! But then, me, Luigi, found-a _Negative Zone. _Drove me-a crazy hand! HA! It's-a funny! Here we go! I stayed here in-a the swamp so N-N-Negative Zone no drive-a others crazy, like-a me, Luigi!"

"I see." Meta Knight snorted, keeping his sword at the ready, though his wings folded back into the cape, Helen keeping a nervous eye on the giggling male, naturally taken aback by such an individual, this man of clear mental instability. "So... what do you plan on doing now?"

"I dunno." Luigi giggled. "Maybe I-a go with you! Find-a healer, healer, healer! YAY!"

The puffball turned to set an eye on Helen, but she shook her head quickly and protested: "I'm a healer certainly, but not on the mental level!"

"Shame." Luigi huffed, dancing around for some reason, hands twirling around in his moustache. "Me-a thought I would be saved! No hope for-a Luigi. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's funny 'cause it's-a true! Who wants-a mushroom?"

"Ivysaur..."

All three froze at the sound of a fourth voice, before Meta Knight turned to see an Ivysaur lumbering out of a nearby bush, the light-blue beast hissing softly as it shook the red bud on its back, purple power seeping softly out of the curled up flower as it glared menacingly at them. Ivysaurs were dangerous creatures, using a combination of brute force and deadly poisons to subdue prey and defeat and enemies

As Meta Knight and Helen quickly backed away from the angered beast, Luigi stared at it, before he burst into crazed laughter: "Oh wow! Ivy-Ivy-Ivy! Hooray! Mushrooms for-a me! Don't-a worry, round man and lady! I'll-a fight it!"

Meta Knight and Helen were understandably surprised as the crazed brother of a legendary hero suddenly produced burning green flames from his hands and lunged at the creature, which extended thick vines that whipped at the man just he rammed into it, knocking both into the bush as Luigi squealed: "Bye-a, friends! Come back soon! YAY! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The bush promptly burst into flames.

"I believe we should take our leave now." Meta Knight suggested, backing away from the small fire as his cape folded around him, Helen gaping in shock at the spectacle of meeting a crazed man and watching said man attack a poisonous plant-beast.

"S-Should we really just leave him here with that thing?" Helen asked, as the duo continued to back away, as the man's crazed laughter and the Ivysaurs savage snarls kept breaking the swamp's silence.

Before Meta Knight could answer, he suddenly felt his retreating foot catch no ground, and, with a yelp of shock, he found himself rolling backwards, as Helen gave out a scream of shock, having also slipped off the steep slope that the fauna had cleverly hidden.

The two rolled down the hill, down and down and down, until they finally came upon the bottom. Helen was first to stop rolling, ending up on her back, eyes wide with shock and mind spinning form the dizzying roll down the slope. That had certainly been a trip, as her staff landed next to her, the jewel glittering in the faint beams of sun that streamed through the tree layering. Meta Knight ended up landing on top of her, his spherical form more prone to bouncing round down the slope. Helen stared at her escort lying upon her naval, the knight groaning with annoyance, before she forced herself to get up, the surprisingly light form of the knight sliding of her as, her mind spinning, she picked up her staff and used it to help support her endeavour to get back onto two feet.

Meta Knight was also quick to his feet, grumbling, as crazed laughter continued to spread through the air. That had certainly been a rather shocking event within the space of around two minutes. Meeting the infamous brother of the legendary hero, a man whom was reputed to have tampered with the mysterious energies of something known as the Negative Zone, an primordial energy of strange effects and powers, to become a greater hero then his brother. However, as they had just witnessed, the Negative Zone had driven him insane, so, evidently, his brother must have banished him to this empty swamp.

However, there was no time for that now, as the faint heat of fire made itself felt. Meta Knight grabbed the recuperated Helen's hand, making sure her staff was in the other hand, before he dragged her off away from the battle. This swamp was definitely not as beautiful as it was on the outside.

It had been a few hours since that event. The swamp kept at it, as the duo were forced to battle past more Ivysaurs, the territorial creatures proving themselves as savage fighters. At one point, Helen had nearly inhaled a plume of toxic powder, but had had the initiative to utilise her staff's other ability- The jewel had glowed a bright silver and conjured up a barrier that had held off the toxic attack. Not to mention the overall lack of edible foods, forcing the two to cope with hunger (Though it was less bothersome to Meta Knight, Helen visibly struggled without food.)

The worst attack had come in the form of a brutal Piranha Pete, a large and savage plant monster with massive jaws. It had been a difficult battle, Helen constantly forced to use her shield to prevent the giant brute from ramming them or trying to crush them. Meta Knight's sword had flashed like a golden harbinger of death, but the beast was large and thick enough to absorb the attacks no problem. Luckily, the battle attracted the attention of a much larger predator, a Giga Koopa, a monstrous turtle-like beast of supposed elemental powers.

Now, if there was one monster you didn't want to mess with, it was a Giga Koopa. They were brutal, smart, hard to kill and versatile. They always had a surprise. Meta Knight longed to battle such a monster, to really see how well he could stand up to it. But, needless to say, the duo had made good their escape as the Giga Koopa tore apart its smaller rival.

It appeared that this swamp was the real reason this route was famed as deadly. While the canyon was straight-forward, the swamp was all but a great maze. People simply got lost here, and died or survived in this place.

Died, generally.

Thankfully, Meta Knight had wings, and thus was able to fly above the canopy and look for the second wall of mountains that led to the great nation of Altea. He'd lead them there simply by going in the direction of those mountains, simple as that.

The sun was setting by the time the trees began, miraculously, to thin out. They were so close. So close to Altea. All they need to do was to find the pass through the mountains that would take them through the great walls to the land they sought.

"Hard to imagine. Only two days, and already, we've arrived." Meta Knight mused, as they stopped to rest under the canopy of a particularly large tree. "Evidently, this route is not so damned as it may seem."

"Perhaps. Then again, some people are more successful then others." Helen replied, idly examining her staff, before turning to look at Meta Knight, the knight leaning against the tree, cape, as always, wrapped around him. "I never got as far as the end of the canyon. My previous escorts got too cocky, I'll admit, and that led them to ruin..."

"Well, at least we're nearly there. Past the great mountain, there will be Altea, and the Temple of Palutena." Meta Knight stated gently, as Helen subtly inched closer to her escort. Meta Knight noted this, and went on: "I suppose, after that... we'll part ways."

Helen sighed softly, before murmuring: "I owe you my life, Sir Meta Knight. You guided me through the canyon and the swamp. I never would have reached Altea without you. You're truly an inspirational creature..."

"So they say..." The puffball chuckled softly, aware of what this talk may be hinting at, before he let out his own sigh.

It was time to confront this recent development of feelings.

"Lady Helen... I hope you know it was an honour to fight beside you, and an honour to help you in your endeavour to reach Altea." He stated, turning his head/body to gaze at the woman, whom matched his eyes with a similarly saddened expression. "And I won't forget this journey we took. I hope you can accomplish your goal to become a priestess."

"That is very courteous, Sir Meta Knight. I only hope I can see you again, and I hope you can defeat whatever monster plagues the country, if it exists." Helen murmured, slowly moving an arm up to idly pat the right shoulder-pad. "I truly do..."

Meta Knight stared at her, before his eyes seemed to glint pink, and he murmured: "Lady Helen, I believe that this journey has opened my eyes to some extent. I suppose I learnt how to appreciate a companion again. It's been a long time since I journeyed with another. I suppose I really appreciated your company, and I really appreciated this opportunity this journey provided me. You are a truly wonderful person, Lady Helen, and I think that-"

"I think, Meta Knight..." Helen murmured softly, interrupting the knight, and resolve seemed to form in her eyes. Her arms slowly reached for the edges of the silver mask as she leaned down and stared at the yellow orbs behind the metal, which widened in shock, as her hands grasped the edges of his mask. His gloves reached up to grasp at her wrists, as if to stop her, but the woman went on and murmured: "I think you should stop talking..."

Her eyes closed, so not to see, and her hands, losing their restraints as Meta Knight decided to give trust where it is due, lifting the mask upwards out of the way as she leaned in, seeking whatever mouth may be under the metal as his gloves moved to stroke at her cheeks, his own eyes, unable to close, merely dimming.

And they kissed.

It was short, but it spoke of something deeper then mere physical contact, the soft feel of her lips upon his, warm and receptive and sensitive and so soft. Meta Knight had never experienced anything so... intense, so powerful in its emotional strength, and he was sure his heart beat faster, his mind clouded into pink softness and that puzzle seemed to fit together at last.

She had been right.

Love had been what he needed.

He felt lost in a wave of sheer... sheer contentment, sheer peace, something stronger then any other kind of safety or comfort. And he felt glorious light upon his body, shining so brightly, warming him so kindly. It was amazing, how she could-

Her lips, soft and wonderful, her breath short and content, left his, leaving a taste of warmth upon him, and his mask was slid down, and he allowed himself to move his sight from his mind to her.

And imagine how shocked the warrior was to see how the maiden had changed.

No longer did she wear mere dirtied green robes, but it was now a flowing dress of white, glorious white, shining like a sun, yet pleasant for the eyes to see. A crown of golden metallic wonder adorned her head, and a glittering shield, like a mirror, adorned her left arm. The staff had upgraded into a larger, more powerful version, shining with light, as a kind of halo shone behind the maiden, and never before had she looked more beautiful, so glorious, so powerful.

Meta Knight couldn't help but fall backwards in utter amazement, completely transfixed by this transformation of the girl he had escorted and kissed. He was right. She had been hiding something. This was no mortal. This was-

"G-Goddess Palutena, Mistress of Light and Benevolence..." The sphere warrior stuttered, eyes widening with shock and awe, before she giggled softly and lifted herself to her feet, her arms cradling the smaller being to her chest, and she murmured, her voice washing over the knight like a wave of glorious heat and wonder, he wondered how he didn't drown in her glory:

"Sir Meta Knight, I shall be honest with you." The magnificent Goddess murmured, eyes shining with passion as she gazed at the knight in her arms. "I waited for someone to pass the trials of this route, the route through the mountains to great Altea. All who tired failed. But you... you passed where they had not. You fought against great odds; the Red Yoshi's, the Ivysaurs, the Piranha Pete, all to help a woman you had only met yesterday. And you felt lost, without something, but you allowed yourself to find it. It was true, Sir Meta Knight; all you needed was love. And believe this Goddess when she says, you have earned hers."

Meta Knight was astonished. He knew he had developed feelings so quickly for the woman he aided through this quest of two days and great trials, against beast and heat and swamp, but to find out she was none other then the legendary Goddess of Light herself? He was amazed, honoured, awestruck.

And she said she loved him. Was that even possible?

The woman seemed to know his thoughts, and she chuckled softly, as he managed to reply: "I-I-I am... I am honoured, glorious Goddess Palutena. I-I-"

"No need to be so modest, Sir Meta Knight." The grand Goddess giggled, hugging the knight tighter to herself, resting upon him, allowing him to feel the warmth and love she felt. No mortal had ever captivated her as this one... "You've proved yourself a warrior of great skills and compassion. You've proved yourself worthy to the Goddess of Light."

With that said, she kissed the top of his head/body, sending a thrill of warm passion through the knight, before she gently set him down on the ground and murmured: "When you reach Altea, be sure to visit the Temple. There is a shrine hidden under a statue of myself, that no-one knows about. I will be delighted to see you again there, Sir Meta Knight. After all, what you saw at the lake was only the beginning."

Meta Knight fought the urge not to faint in sheer amazement, and he managed, just managed, to stutter: "Of-of course, great G-Goddess..."

"I never would have imagined the great Meta Knight losing his voice." Palutena giggled, standing to her full height and smiling lovingly at the knight. "I shall see you at the Temple, brave warrior. May the light bless you until we meet again soon."

And she was gone.

Not even a flash. Just gone.

Meta Knight just stood there, dumbstruck, amazed, shocked, whatever kind of emotion you could imagine in such a situation. He'd just been given the love and kiss of a Goddess, the Goddess of Light herself. This whole journey had been a test for him, and he had passed with flying colours, it seemed. Incredible.

The knight finally regained his wits and gathered himself up, before his cape unfolded into wings, and he took off into the air, allowing himself a short laugh. He'd just kissed a Goddess.

Unbelievable.

Well, he'd better get going to the Temple. It never did a warrior good to keep a fair lady waiting.

It was only then he really realised: _"What you saw at the lake was only the beginning."_

Oh my.

Somewhere in the swamp, Luigi burst out laughing, cackling maniacally as he idly sat on the roasted corpse of an Ivysaur: "My goodness! The puffball got-a lucky with a Goddess! Who would-a believe that? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh wow, I really need-a mushrooms."

**Author's Notes: FINISHED!**

**I have to admit, writing out Crazy Luigi was hilarious. He was gonna have a bigger role, but like I said, I had to cut the story short to beat the deadline.**

**Anyway, Meta Knight discovers that Helen really is the Goddess Palutena, whom was testing him, apparently. He passed, and now it's all happy-sappy love. Hooray. I suck at developing romantic plots XD**

**Oh well, I tried my best. C'mon, Fox-pilot! Take this story in, and let the other contestants read it and weep! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D**

**Seriously, though, I hope everyone enjoyed reading this, and I hope the judges like it as much I do. Meta Knight x Palutena for the win! Heck, Meta Knight x Peach/Samus/Zelda/Lyndis/Palutena for the win! XD**

**Contests are awesome! I really should make my own one :3**


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